Razor in the Dark
by a13815
Summary: Rasek must prove himself to his elven companions as they plunge deep into the secret caverns and seek the presence of an ancient evil. - I am desperate for any feedback on this story.
1. Chapter 1

I am a novice writer desperate for any kind of honest feedback on this story. If you could let me know what you think of it, however brief, I will be so very grateful. Thank You.

**Razor in the Dark**

**Chapter 1**

Rasek took one last look at the dusty plain before he turned and crept into the dark mouth of the cave. He thought not to unhinge his shield or unsheathe his sword at that moment, because although he'd heard that the dangers of this darkness were numerous, and that a more cautious adventurer might have readied his arms immediately upon entering, Rasek had planned to conserve his powers until they were absolutely needed. He would not allow a trickling fear to wind him into a state of frenzy. That would be asking for failure.

Instead he slogged deeper into the throat of the cave with his weapons still secured to their hinges, and he held his bare hands out in front of him while he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. His boots traipsed over the shrubs that sunk deep into the mud, and soon the sunlit rim of the cave entrance disappeared behind him in the distance. He was alone, with his heartbeat and his canteen. His body was draped in itchy chainmail armor.

There was an oddity about this cave, something that made it seem dethatched from the roads he'd journeyed over to reach it. Unlike the skies and the weeds and the surrounding outer plains, this cave was not dry and barren, the air was damp, and the sweet taste of magic hovered inside these cavernous ceilings of stone. It was as if he'd fallen away from the earth and into the pocket of a twisted dimension. He could feel incense floating on the rising dusts, grains of dark magic, swirling up into his nose. Something unearthly was lurking in the pit, and its aura pervaded the entire cave even up to where Rasek currently plodded. He hoped that whatever monstrosity dwelled down there, it would not be for a long way off, and that in his mission he could completely avoid it.

He was gradually moving forward when something hissed in the black. It sounded like a snake. Rasek stopped suddenly and gripped the handle of his sword, but he still did not unsheathe it. He steadied his pulse and soon released his grasp from the weapon. What sort of warrior would he be if he sprung at the slightest sound? He needed to keep calm. Slowly he crouched and waited. There was no further sound, no soft slithering in the mud, no more hissing. It couldn't have been a snake anyhow, for he'd studied the layout and habitat of this cave back in the libraries of Stormwind. He knew that serpents and other varieties of lizard were not popular here. The hiss must have been the signal he was instructed to listen out for. It was his foreign ally, waiting patiently in the dark for him. At that comforting thought, he stood up straight and opened his dry lips to speak.

"Verin?" he said.

"Aye," came a woman's voice. The voice had a feathery sound, too light and pure for the wicked cave. "Rasek," came the voice again. "Well met."

A few feet in front of him, light from the end of a wooden staff flickered on, and next to it, a beautiful elven face was illuminated. The face had a purple hue with faded blue splotches around the eyes, and a spool of fine white hair glistening behind it. Verin, she was, and she looked like a goddess to Rasek. A goddess who had to morphed to human form but couldn't quite shed her divine beauty in the process. Verin. The first living elf he'd seen.

She smiled. "You move softly for a human." Her silver dress was woven of fine silk and golden links made up the collar. "I am priestess Verin," she said.

Rasek nodded. "Well met," he said. He tried not to lose himself in her radiance.

Across her shoulder, the leather band of a small purse was draped. She patted the purse gently. "I have your payment in here," she said. "Which I will bequeath to you once the mission is completed."

"Deal," said Rasek. He looked around. "Has the other member of our party not arrived?"

"Jiff is here," she said. "He is deeper inside scouting the route. Let us go and retrieve him."

They ventured deeper into the cave, which was now an underground labyrinth. Rasek took the lead, though he did not know precisely where he was going from this point, he thought it his duty to stand in front as a warrior guard, first to absorb any trouble. And this way he could also avoid staring at Verin and dropping his guard.

But there was no other movement in the cave yet. No signs of life, death, or worse. Verin's staff lit the way with its holy beam, Rasek could see exactly how vast the walls were as their shapes made dancing shadows upon it. They were both in the belly of a beast of earth and stone, and their path took them down a winding slope. Rasek had never been to Kalimdor and he decided that venturing deep into the caverns of Razorfen was not the best way to get acquainted with such a splendid continent.

He was a young man of 20 years, groomed to serve the Stormwind Guard for the duration of his life—a noble career, but one of terrifying blandness. Currently he was in his apprentice phase where he had been fast tracked to active duty in zones between Westfall and Northshire. But more soldiers were returning home from far off lands. There was a surplus of experienced officers now and Rasek was needed less and less as the days passed. Often he found himself twiddling his thumbs, performing the menial tasks of an understudy, which he did not particularly mind. Because during lulls he could tuck himself away in the nooks of Stormwind's vast bookshops and read to his heart's content about the entirety of Azeroth. Soon he became entranced by the fascinating histories of foreign domains and the unique people who dwelled there. It was the desire of a young fool, but he began to thirst for adventure, and now, to his well suppressed glee, he happened to find himself in one.

He was concerned, however, that in his eagerness to capitalize on the first opportunity to travel, he had chosen a task far above his still growing capabilities. For this damp labyrinth was thick with peril, it seemed, and the magic he'd faintly felt before was now smothering each one of his senses as they traveled deeper.

Something shifted. Rasek and Verin both stopped moving. Suddenly Rasek felt the sharp point of a dagger poking his side through the space in his armor.

A male's voice breathed softly in his ear. "You would be dead here."

But Rasek's shock only lasted a moment as he guessed what was happening. He didn't freeze, nor did he reach for his sword. Instead he growled, and with his right hand he grasped the dagger-bearing wrist of his assailant and flung the man forward onto the ground before him. It was a male night-elf, clad in black leather with a small green ponytail flopping about his shoulders. Rasek drew his sword, but the elf was back on his feet and backed away out of reach.

"Stop!" Came Verin's voice. "Jiff!" she hissed. "What is the meaning of this?"

The elf slipped his dagger back inside his pocket and dusted himself off. "I am merely testing the competence of our warrior friend here." He peered at Rasek with an expression that wasn't friendly. "What sort of warrior allows himself to be so easily approached?"

Rasek did not back down. "And what sort of rogue allows his dagger wielding hand to be snatched by that very same warrior?" he said. "Surely you have not gotten outpaced by a stout man such as myself clad in heavy armor?"

"Enough," snapped Verin. "Jiff, don't be a fool. That was enirely unnecessary."

"We don't know this man," Jiff said. "I have my reservations about working with humans and I will not risk my life with an unproven stranger. These deeps are not for amateurs."

"I am no amateur," said Rasek. "I've been trained by longstanding champions of my class. Some of the best warriors in Azeroth. Molok has vouched for me has he not? And since you've entered into a binding arrangement, you've forfeited your doubts. You must uphold your honor. That's how we handle things in Stormwind."

Jiff scoffed. "In Stormwind," he said. "Surely you jest. Or you are even more of a fool than I took you for."

"No," said Rasek. "I do not jest. And I have not travelled this way to be put to the test by my supposed comrades. Let us allow the dark things that swarm in this cave to be our challenge."

Jiff still looked unconvinced. But he understood that he had little choice if they were to continue and his animosity seemed to lessen in vigor.

"Rasek is right," said Verin. "We must trust him. We too value abiding our words."

Jiff said nothing.

Verin turned to Rasek. "He is a stubborn rogue, and he seldom warms himself to people, human, elf or otherwise, but he is a faithful companion. You can rely on him."

Rasek frowned. "As long as there are no further self inflicted setbacks, I will stay, as I promised."

"Let us proceed," said Jiff sternly.

Verin nodded. She closed her eyes. With both palms she gripped her staff and a held it forward. A dazzling yellow glow encircled both of her hands. "Now," she said, with her eyes remaining closed. "Before we begin, allow me a prayer to Elune, for if we make it as far as we have planned, we will need every ounce of her blessing that she will grant us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Razor in the Dark - Chapter 2**

_Rasek of Stormwind has met his night elf companions, Verin and Jiff, and they have crossed the outskirts of the cave. Now they must venture inside the core and test their resolve against the dangerous beasts that lurk there. _

Let me know what you think of the story so far, any feedback, positive or negative is welcome. I'd like to know how I'm doing, if there is anything I'm doing well and also ways that I can improve. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 2**

When Verin opened her eyes again, she looked at Rasek with a ferocity that pierced through his armor and into his soul. He shuddered, feeling utterly exposed under her gaze but he did not protest, for he knew what was coming.

Her lips parted and she spoke lofty words of prayer. "May the light of Elune be upon you," she said. Then she lifted her glowing hands and in an instant Rasek was smothered by the blanket of her blessing—a warm wave of holiness that augmented his bones and invigorated his spirit. He basked in the feeling. Rarely in Stormwind was he afforded the generous blessing of a priestess. Blessings were reserved for leading rank warriors who were sent on missions beyond the capital realm, or for wealthy soldiers of the castle who could pay spoils of gold for a blessing to energize them as they stood in the king's guard for hours on end. Rasek could never afford such gifts, so here in the dark labyrinth of stone he was grateful to have one for free.

"Your blessing is well received," he said to Verin, as the power of it coursed through his veins. Every inch of him was strengthened and filled with such vitality that his chainmail armor felt like meager cloth. His plated shield was but a toy on his back. Nothing could stop him now, he thought, and he began to pity the foes they would soon face in the cavern.

"Let us begin," said Verin, after she had bestowed a blessing upon herself and channeled a similar prayer to an invisible space ahead of them, which was where Jiff must have been crouched in his stealth guise.

"Aye," whispered Rasek. "Let us begin." He finally unsheathed his sword from its hilt, removed his shield from his back and took his battle stance.

Jiff's voice came clearly from the near shadows. "Be on your toes," he said. "Our first roadblock is a scorpion's nest. It cannot be avoided so we must clear them from our path."

Rasek nodded to himself and stepped forward slowly, Verin's staff brightened the way. As they proceeded, the labyrinth began to play a trick on them. Its narrow tunnel walls started to shrink little by little. Soon Rasek felt the dusty vines that hung from the ceiling begin to brush against his shoulders. It was as if the walls were literally closing in on them as they moved futher forward. He had to tuck his shield and sword tightly in front of him to prevent them from scraping against the walls and loosening rocks from their crevices.

"Must we take to our bellies soon to progress further?" said Rasek.

Jiff's voice came beside him. "No, the tunnel will end shortly."

Jiff was right. Rasek spotted an opening at the end of the tunnel's throat. It looked like a doorway, broken, with no door filling the small space. Once they reached it they crept through the other side, and that was where the cavern opened up to revealed itself for the monstrous lair that it actually was. Rasek and his companions suddenly looked small in the enormous and terrible cavern space that sprawled openly around them. Light from Verin's glowing staff danced dimly along the gigantic walls, illuminating the crisscrossing dirt bridges and spiraling webs of thorn that filled the space. Like a decrepit amusement part encased underground. Dirt pathways wriggled like flattened snakes and dirty falls of water splashed into muddy pools and streams, and there was the steady hum of some kind of life in that place that couldn't be pinpointed, but seethed on a vengeful undercurrent.

Rasek gazed in wonder. He'd seen a great painting of this dark segment of Razorfen in a book from the Stowmwind library, but the painting had failed to capture the true scope of this domain, and it certainly offered no hint of the surging demonic spirit that now seemed to pulse through every inch of ground. He glanced back at Verin. Her eyes were closed tightly she was muttering words to herself that he could not understand. When returned returned home he would have to craft a denser book that detailed the true feeling of this domain. He would have a word with Lord Breslin, chief historian, with whom Rasek had developed an acquaintanceship with after spending long hours in the library. Lord Breslin also had a lovely daughter whom Rasek had fancied since they'd been in school together. Maybe he could impress her with tales of his journey into this pit of darkness.

Jiff's voice came again nearby. "Our route is straight ahead across this bridge."

Rasek started moving again and kept his eyes forward. A few paces ahead was the bridge Jiff had spoke of, and it was covered on its surface by enormous thorns. Pointy spikes and scales that seemed near Rasek's own size, and on either side of the bridge was a ribcage wall made of bones that must have belonged to a cleft hoof, they were so thick and large. The bones had been shaped into rows of spikes. Rasek did not have much time consider what sort of creatures had constructed the impasse, for his mind was set on discovering a solution for how they would cross it.

Then to his terror, as he looked closer, he noticed that the thorns were in fact moving. Very slowly they circled among themselves until Rasek suddenly realized that they were not thorns at all, but scorpions. The scorpion Jiff had referred to earlier. Man-sized, horrific creatures they were, lazily plodding in circles over the bridge and kicking up clouds of dust around them. Their backs were jagged and spiky, their claws were only out-sharpened by their tales. Indeed they looked like enormous moving thorn bushes, Rasek now desperately wished they were.

His mouth was dry when he spoke. "So," he said. "These are our first demons."

"If you do not think you are a match for them," said Jiff. "We must turn back now. I do not wish to die to foolish bravado. Otherwise, if you are truly capable, you must draw their wrath and weather their blows while I slay them."

Turning back did not seem a great tragedy to Rasek. He though fondly of the tunnel they had just emerged from and remembered that there were no giant scorpions lurking back that way. But he put it out of his mind. He steeled himself for the task at hand.

"Ok," he said. "I will attack them and use my shield to fend them off. Are we ready?"

"At your will," spoke Verin. "Elune be with us."

Rasek grunted to himself under his breath. "For the Alliance, for Stormwind." Then he burst forward with a speed so fast that his vision was momentarily blurred. The sight of entire cavern melted away as he ran. When his focus was regained, the scorpions were right in front of him. That was when he realized he had been wrong. The scorpions were not man sized. They were larger, and immediately they started to jostle and shuffled and crowd around him, moving much quicker than Rasek would have imagined they could. They had seemed so lethargic from afar. Then with their pincers they swiped at him and his shield was battered back with every hit. But there didn't seem to be as many there as Rasek had initially estimated, and even luckier, they did not seem very intelligent. As Rasek growled at them, they continued to punch at his shield with their claws, he held steadfast. He did not attack, per say, he simply used his sword to fend off their tales which they jabbed over their backs and straight down at his exposed head. He sliced at the stingers on the tales one by one and black blood sprayed out of them in a misty goo when he made contact.

"Good work," came Jiff's voice from beside him. "Now continue to keep them engaged while I attack."

Rasek was too encumbered to respond. It was all he could to hold his shield up and weather the scorpion blows while he batted away their deadly tales with his sword. He felt like he was inside a cracking shell, and he wondered how much longer he could hold together before shattering. But soon Jiff engaged. Rasek caught glimpses of the rogue darting among the pack of scorpions like lightning and quickly stabbing his daggers deep into them. He did not aim for the pincers or the tales, but he pierced the scales of their bellies, where their hearts pumped, and he sliced the hardened shells of their foreheads. In no time, the pack was diminishing in might as Jiff dispatched them. The pressure against Rasek's shield grew lighter.

But then something wicked happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, Rasek felt a breeze bush against him, much chillier than the humid cavern air. He hunched his shoulders tightly but the breeze was persistent, it slid underneath his armor and through his skin surface, and soon Rasek felt it even squeezing his bones, like silk siding beneath his flesh. His legs began to tremble as he struggled to stand and keep his arms raised, he felt prickling all around him. A scorpion tail came swooping down for his head and he couldn't bring his sword to meet it. He was forced to dodge his head out of its deadly path. A close call, he barely moved out of the way in time, but his focus was more thoroughly on the breeze that had forced its way inside him. Now it was tingling in his skull, and then he felt it trickle down the nerves of his spine.

He shut his eyes tight and clenched as if he could squeeze the feeling it out of him, but when he opened them again he saw a red glow surrounding the scorpions. Both the dead scorpions and the live ones were glowing in a buzz of faint red light. Then the blackened streaked corpses of the dead flung their bodies at him, as if they were being controlled by an invisible hand. They did not attempt to lead with their stingers, it seemed they simply wanted to make contact. When they hit him, he was pushed back heavily by their weight.

Then Jiff's voice came frantically from the whirlwind of bodies. "Hold strong, Rasek. I am slaying the last two."

"What good will that do?" Rasek shouted. "For even in death they still attack." His voice sounded unfamiliar to him. The chill in him was playing with his throat.

Finally the rescue of Verin's prayer arrived. It was Rasek's saving grace as, once again, he was coated in a warmth and it seemed to wash the dark chill clean from his bones. He felt it dissolve under the holy power and his legs ceased their trembling.

"Ok," said Jiff. "I have killed the last of them. Now retreat quickly, away from the hurling corpses."

Rasek did not need a second invitation. He turned and began to run from the dead scorpions as they continued to fling their bodies in the air. Once they were a sufficient distance away, he looked back towards the bridge and saw the swarm of them hoping over each other in the air, even some of their detached limbs danced wildly in the air, aiming at nothing in particular now that Rasek was out of range. Then Verin stepped forward and held a firey gaze on the scorpions as they hopped and flopped about. She lifted her arms high into the air and clenched her hands into fists. When she brought them down, a large column of fire shot through the air and fell onto the group of the dead scorpions. The fire's burst cracked the air like a loud clap, and the scorpion corpses stopped all movement. The fire blazed in a circle, and Jiff heard hey hissing and sputtering as the corpses roasted in the brilliant flames. Soon the fire extinguished itself and in its place lay shrunken shriveled blacked splotches, unrecognizable as any creatures, only piles of smoldering ashes.

They had survived their roadblock.

Rasek panted and wiped his brow. "Why did we not set flames upon them at the start?"

"They must be dead for my fire to incinerate them," said Verin. "Otherwise, sometimes it can empower the target."

"Were you stung?" Asked Jiff. He was looked at Rasek.

"No" said Rasek. "My leg brushed against a small thorny vine." Rasek looked down at his leg and observed the rivulet of blood sliding down from the small wound. "I will be fine. I can patch this up. But I will need a moments rest to do so." He was secretly glad to have an excuse to rest after that encounter.

"Very well," said Jiff. He crouched down and wiped the black blood of his shoes with his knife. "We will mend here for a moment before we traverse any deeper."

Just then a hideous cry rattled the walls of the cavern. It rang in Rasek's ears. The three of them froze and stared ahead at the remains of the scorpions they had just exterminated. Their remains began to dissolve into smoke and slowly started rising to the top of the cave.

Rasek wondered aloud. "What sort of idle creatures can be bent to attack so ferociously?" he said. "And what poisonous essence lingers in this cave? " He was careful not to sound too disturbed about the events that had occurred in their battle, and the curious evaporation ritual of the Scorpion bodies. But he wanted to find out what he could.

"We do not know," said Verin.

"There is a haunted dreamer wandering in here," said Jiff. "Something that can penetrate minds, bodies and even souls. We do not know what spells it uses to delve so freely and so deeply into its victims, but that is what we are here to find."

"A spell book?" said Rasek.

"Hopefully a book is all we need," said Jiff. "But we cannot be sure. It could be a corrupted weapon or relic, or something worse."

Rasek's mind raced. True, he'd read about the caves of Razorfen, but all that was documented was the layout and the creatures, nothing of the juice, the magic, the haunted spirit that made it what it was. He wondered if such document in Azeroth even existed, or if he and his companions would be the first to make a discovery if they were to find anything.

"Whatever we find," Jiff continued. "It is exclusively for our priests in Darnassus to analyze. All you receive from this venture will be in coin, as we agreed."

"I'm aware of this," said Rasek. "And I am fully capable of holding up my end of the bargain."

Jiff studied Rasek skeptically, he did not hide his doubts, which was becoming more and more irritating to Rasek, for he was an honest man and did not enjoy being thought of as otherwise.

Verin suddenly spoke. "I feel the essence of this cave wrapping much tighter around us, bouncing its signals from a much closer range than before. Is it possible that our battle awakened it and it has dislodged from its inner lair?"

Jiff was quickly on his feet. "I will go scout our next path," he whispered. "Remain here and fall backward to the cave should you meet any surprise attacks in my absence."

With that Jiff crept forward towards the bridge, soon he was beyond it, and then his silhouette was a gone into the distant shadows.


End file.
